No, we don’t have it out for Walmart just like to shop there online! So of course, keeping up with SEO I just happened to stumble across something today. I was looking at deals on the iPod Touch and found some interesting stuff. Checkout these screenshots below and let me know your thoughts on this. Yes, that is indeed hidden keyword stuff text wrapped in an h1 tag!20 Comments

Comments

You can see examples of these links here:http://www.walmart.com/browse/Audio/MP3-Players/iPod-MP3-Players/_/N-6ylbZaq90Zaqce/The page itself isnt in Google, so its not like its currently picking up the extra words. And I kind of wonder if its some glitch rather than a ploy to insert addition keyword-rich anchor text. But could be. Plus, odd that those words carry over the product pages like here:http://www.walmart.com/iPod-Touch-16GB-2nd-Generation-Accessory-Bundle/ip/10741294Kind of stupid they get render in the title tag, too, like this:<title>Walmart.com: iPod 16GB Touch (2nd Gen) Value Bundle with Your Choice of Music Power Duet AC Charger, Sony Headphones, or Accessory Kit <FONT color="#FFFFFF">handheld video game portable video game</FONT>: Audio</title>

Hmm SEOs assuming the worst of Walmart (ie keyword stuffing hidden text).. yet wonder why Google also assumes the same... Anyways, before assuming the worst, it may be that they were using this to help internal search.... (granted it wouldnt be the best method) just saying there may be other reasons why this was implemented - and SEOs should look for those as well before assuming the worst. Isnt that how youd want Google to treat your properties?

Probably worth noting that Wal-Mart actually had adsense ads running at the top of numerous pages a few months ago. Because of a relationship with another major retailer at the time, I tossed it to another blogger (who didnt use it) but I found it really weird! Remember BMW? Wonder if WalMart will see the same penalty?? GREAT catch!

@Chris1: damn dude, thats hilarious... LMFAOI hate Walmart and will not spend a dime there to feed that corporate monster.Back on track though, whether or not they did KW stuff they could get away with it. But as Danny pointed out, seems more like a glitch when you think it through to its logical conclusion. Why on earth would they stuff the Meta Title and devalue the strength of each individual word in it?